1 Samuel

questions: 36

Old Testament · questions that cite 1 Samuel.

Showing 25–36 of 36

These marks echo where critical scholarship tends to land on each question — not GEBible’s own ruling.

Seen as a contradiction
Genuinely disputed
Seen as reconciled

Scholarly consensus: Genuinely disputed among scholars
How many Philistine foreskins did David buy his first wife with?

The tension: 1 Samuel 18:27 says David killed 200 Philistines and brought back their foreskins to Saul as the bride-price for Michal.

View the question
Scholarly consensus: Genuinely disputed among scholars
When did Saul become David's enemy?

The tension: 1 Samuel 18:8-9 says Saul began to eye David with suspicion immediately after the women's song crediting David with greater slaughter than Saul — "Saul has sla…

View the question
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
When did "Is Saul among the prophets?" become a proverb?

The tension: 1 Samuel 10:11-12 gives the origin of the proverb "Is Saul also among the prophets?" when Saul prophesies among Samuel's prophet band shortly after his anointi…

View the question
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
When was the last time that Samuel saw Saul?

The tension: 1 Samuel 15:35 states emphatically that "Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death." 1 Samuel 19:24 then has Saul stripping naked and prophesy…

View the question
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
When David fled to Nob, what was the priest's name?

The tension: 1 Samuel 21:1 names Ahimelech as the priest at Nob who feeds David the showbread.

View the question
Scholarly consensus: Leans toward a genuine contradiction
Was David alone when asking for the holy bread at Nob?

The tension: 1 Samuel 21:1 has Ahimelech ask David "why art thou alone, and no man with thee?" — implying David arrived solo.

View the question
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
Was Abiathar the father or the son of Ahimelech?

The tension: 1 Samuel 22:20, 23:6, and 30:7 consistently identify Abiathar as the son of Ahimelech.

View the question
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
Did Saul inquire of the Lord?

The tension: 1 Samuel 28:6 says explicitly that Saul inquired of the Lord and the Lord refused to answer.

View the question
Scholarly consensus: Leans toward reconciliation
Was Jesus the first to rise from the dead?

The tension: Acts 26:23 and 1 Corinthians 15:20 call Jesus the firstfruits of the resurrection and the first to rise from the dead.

View the question
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
Did Saul and Samuel kill all the Amalekites?

The tension: 1 Samuel 15:7-8 says Saul utterly destroyed all the Amalekites with the edge of the sword.

View the question
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
How did Saul die?

The tension: 1 Samuel 31:4-6 and 1 Chronicles 10:4 say Saul committed suicide by falling on his sword.

View the question
Scholarly consensus: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction
Who did Elhanan kill?

The tension: 2 Samuel 21:19 says Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim killed Goliath the Gittite — the same Goliath whom 1 Samuel 17 credits David with killing.

View the question